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' 1, 20, 74 March 1927' E. s. SAVAGE 6 5 CHANGEABLB ASSEMBLY SET FORAMUSEMENT AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES Filed Jan. 20. 1925 WITNESSES: VINVENTUR Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

EDWARD S. SAVAGE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

CHANGEABLE ASSEMBLY SET FOR AJKIUSEIVIENI AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.

Application filed January 20, 1925.

My invention relates to that class of merchandise which is usually soldin sets of disassembled parts designed to be repeatedly used in theconstruction of various objects, structures and designs. It isparticularly applicable to toy assembly sets commonly known as buildingblocks or construction toys.

One object of the invention is to provide assembly sets the parts ofwhich can be easily and quickly assembled in any desired relationshipand will retain their positions with out the use of fastening devices.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide assembly parts havingsurfaces which will adhere to each other when placed in contact but willpermit of being pulled apart without great effort.

A further object is to provide assembly parts which will adhere to eachother but will not adhere to a persons hands or to other ordinarysurfaces such as cloth or wood.

Still further objects are to provide assembly sets inexpensive inconstruction and attractive in appearance which can be manufactured in agreat variety of shapes and with which structures may be built ofinteresting and unusual design, with overhanging parts, the completedstructures having such rigidity that they may be lifted and moved aboutwithout falling apart.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention resides inthe combination and arrangement of parts and in the details ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed. 4

in the accompanying drawings Figures l, J and 3 are sections ofindividual parts each representing a different ei'nbodiment of myinvention. Figure 4: shows a structure built with one of these assemblysets the parts of which are in the form of buiding blocks.

Figure 1 is a section of a piece of fibrous material such as felt, theouter fibers of which are coated with an adhesive material such asunvulcanized rubber. I prefer to apply the adhesive, not as a masscovering the fibers and closing the space between them, but as a coatingfor the individual fibers leaving some open spaces between them. This isaccomplished by dipping the felt piece in a solution of rubber andallowing it to dry.

erial No. 3,625.

Figure 2 is a section of a part, the body 1 of which is preferably madeof some rigid material such as wood and the surfaces of which arecovered with a fibrous material 2 such as cloth or felt permanentlyglued to the surface. The outer surfaces of the cloth are coated withsome adhesive 3 as described in connection with F igure l. This construction has the advantage. of producing a resilient surface similar to thatof solid felt and also the advantage of being more rigid.

In Figure 3 is shown a section of a part. the body 1 of which is made ofsome rigid material such as wood and is surfaced with an unwoven fibrousmaterial 2 known as flock which is held in place by a binder 4,preferably a hard varnish or glue. The flock fibers are coated with anadhesive 3 such as unvulcanized rubber applied as previously described.

lVhen two surfaces prepared as herein described are pressed together theprojecting adhesive coated fibers which are presented to each other tendto overlap and interlock, thus the area of adhesive surface makingcontactis much greater than it would be with nonfibrous surfaces. Thefibrous surface also furnishes increased gripping area for the adhesiveso thatthe adhesive will not be pulled away when two assembly parts areseparated after being pressed together. The fibrous surface alsoprovides a certain amount of resiliency which permits each surface toadapt itself to inequalities of the other.

I prefer to use unvulcanized rubber as the adhesive because of its:cohesive quality and because it has very little afiinity for othermaterials, and objects coated with it do not tend to adhere to othersurfaces not so coat-- ed. It also has the desirable quality ofretaining its cohesiveness for a long time.

Figure 4 represents a structure built with a set of building blocksembodying my invention and illustrates the unique adaptability of thisinvention for making comparatively rigid structures, with overhangingportions, without the use of special fastening devices, a feature whichadds greatly to the pleasure and interest of those using an assembly setof this kind.

My invention is not limited to the em bodirnent thereof hereinbeforedescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

but may be embodied in various other forms Within the nature of theinvention as it is' defined in the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A changeable assembly set for amuse ment and educational purposesformed of a plurality of different elements shaped to be combined toprovide a variety of structures and each having a yielding roughenedsurface coated With an adhesive material 'rvhich will cause the elementsto adhere to each other When placed in contact and xvhi ch Will maintainits adhesive property, at the :same time permitting the ready separationof the elements for reassenibling to produce other figures.

2. A changeable assembly set for 'amu'sement and educational purposesformed of a plurality of different elements shaped "to be combined toprovide a variety of structures and each having a rigid body portion, ayielding roughened s'urfaceap 'jlied.to such body portion and anadhesive coating; applied. 'to said yielding iii-oughened 'sdrface whichwill cause the elements to adhere to each other when placed incontactand ivhich will maintain its adhesiye property, atthe same timepermitting the ready separation of the elements for reassembling to'prdduce other "figures.

3. A changeable assembly set for amusement and educational purposes"formed of a 'p1u'ral1ty ofd ifereiitelements shaped to be combined {toprovide a variety of s'tru tu'res and each a rigid body, a 'sui faceo ffibrous mater al on the body and an adhesive coating" covering theindividual strand but "not entirely filling the spaces betiveen thestrands, Which will cause the elements to adhere to each ether Whenplaced in contact and which will maintain its adhesive property, at thesame time permitting the ie'a d'y separation "of the elements forreasseinbling to produce ether figures.

i. A changeable assembly set for amusement and educational purposesformed 6f a o. A changeable assembly set for amusement and educationalpurposes formed of a plurality of different elements shaped to becombined to providea variety of structures and each having a surfacecoated with unvulcani'z'e'd rubber which will cause the eleineifts toadhere to each other when placed in contact and which will maintain itsadh esive property, at the same time permitting the ready separation ofthe elements for reassembling to produce fo'ther figures.

A chai'ige'able assembly set for amuse ment and educational "purposesformed of a plurality of different elements shaped to be combined to fiprev'ide a variety of structures and eaeh ha mg a surface of 'unWovenfibrousmateria'l and an adhesive coating said material which will causethe elements to adhere to each other when placed 'inctihtac't and whichivill maintain its adhesive proptime permitting the ready ation of theelements for reasseinblin'g to produce other figures.

7. A changeable assembly set for amusement and educational purposes, theparts thereof composed of a rigid material, and surfaced "with a fibrmnsmaterial, the outer fibers of the fibrous material being coated withunvulcaniz'ed rubber.

8. A changeable assembly set for amuse nient and educatienal purposes,the parts thereof composed of a rigid 'inaterial, and surfaced 'vv'ithan unwev'en fibrous material, said fibrous material bein'g'co'ated withun- "vulcan'ized rubber.

EDVVA IKD S. SAVAGE,

